Walcott will ask each school to organize at least one program to combat bullying and hate crimes before the school year ends next month, he said at a press conference at City Hall.

“No student should fear going to school because of bullying or harassment," Walcott said, standing alongside City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. "Given the recent events, I am asking that all schools incorporate anti-bullying lessons into end of year assemblies, programs and curricula to highlight the importance of treating people with respect and dignity.”

In the fifth anti-gay crime in Manhattan in the past two weeks, Mark Carson, 32, was shot in the face in Greenwich Village early Saturday morning, after his attacker, Elliot Morales, called him a “faggot” and a "gay wrestler," police and Quinn said.

The shooting is believed to be the 22nd hate crime in the city so far this year — nearly double the total number of hate crimes in all of 2012, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

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